Luggage edge-binding integral strip of rubbery material



July 25, 1950 H. CHENOWETH 2,516,551

LUGGAGE EDGE-BINDING INTEGRAL STRIP OF RUBBERY MATERIAL Filed April 50, 1945 LEL/EEHCE fr-E bani/51!? Patented July 25, 1950 LUGGAGE EDGE-BINDING INTEGRAL STRIP or RUBBERY MATERIAL Laurence H.,Chenoweth, Akron, Ohio, assignor to The B. F. Goodrich Company, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application April30, 1945, Serial No. 591,198

This invention relates to receptacles for materials and especially to such receptacles having corner constructions with protective binding strips and to such binding strips.

Prior constructions of receptacles or containers for materials and/or articles such, for example, as travelers personal baggage for clothing and other articles, have generally used binding strips of leather, treated or untreated woven fabric, metal and other related materials at the corner constructions of such baggage for reinforcing and protecting the same. However, such receptacle constructions have not been wholly satisfactory for the purpose intended because of their deficient cushioning properties and because the binding strips have torn loose, broken, ripped or otherwise failed after usage and exposure to the weather, due to, for example, the deterioration of such materials as to their tension and compression, resistance to wear, resistance to tear, re-

sistance to chemical agents, appearance, and

other characteristics. I

Objects of the invention are to provide an improved receptacle or luggage binding strip for the corners or edges of the receptacle or luggage; to provide for forming the strip as an elastic integral strip of rubbery plasticized thermoplastic material; to provide for cushioning blows against the luggage at the corners or edges thereof; to provide for sealing and protecting effectively the corners or edges of the luggage; to provide for attaching securely the binding strip to the luggage; to provide for maintaining the appearance of the luggage at the corners or edges thereof; and to provide for convenience of manufacture, simplicity of construction, and for effectiveness of operation.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention. will be apparent from the following description.

In the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification and in which like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout the same,

Fig. 1 is a perspective'front view from above of a receptacle constructed. in accordance with and embodying the invention, and

Fig, 2 is a sectional view taken 8.101'1g line 22 of Fig. 1, parts being broken away.

In .the illustrative form of the invention shown in the drawings, a receptacle or container suitable, especially, for use as travelers baggage for containing clothing and other articles and ma terials, is of the portable, hand-carried type hav- 4Claims. chm-. 1)

2 .5 ing, desirably, aclosable mouth and a relatively flexible wall construction. Such walls may be of leather or woven fabric coated or otherwise treated with suitable strengthening and waterproofing materials such, for example, as rubber or other rubber-like material. However, it is to be understood that the invention is equally applicable to receptacles having walls of relatively stiff material such, for example, as Bakelite and other plastics, wood, sheet metal, and compositions as, for example, plywood, plastic wood andother related materials having the required strength, weight, resistance to abrasive wear, appearance, and other desired characteristics.

The receptacle. 5 includes spaced-apart side walls 6 and I interconnected by end walls 8 and 9 and a bottom wall In, which bottom wall may be reinforced for stiffening purposes. The walls are suitably joined at their adjacent margins as by sewin II or by an adhesive suitable for the purpose, or by both, for providing a unitary receptacle construction having an open-mouth arrangement at the-top of such receptacle. For facilitating closing such open-mouth, the side wall 1 may be provided with an extension l2 adapted to be positioned over the opening and secured to the opposite side wall 6 as by a suitable snap fastener means l3. material in strip form may be provided for conveniently carrying the receptacle or package, end portions of each handle being attached to one of the side walls as by sewing i6, i6 and overlying reinforcing patches I1, I! of suitable material, as shown especially in Fig. 1 for the handle M.

For the arrangement shown in the drawings, the bottom wall It] is in angular relation to and converges toward the respective sides 6, l and ends 8, 9 of the receptacle, providing a continuous corner zone at the intersection of such Walls about the periphery of the bottom of the receptacle. To the end of sealing and protectin the corner construction continuously about such periphery, the invention provides a flexible binding strip l8, preferably elastic at least in portions thereof, and being of rubbery material which may be plasticized thermoplastic material, reinforced orunreinforced as desired, though preferably without fabric or other reinforcement. Such binding strip I8 is positioned continuously along such corner zone about the bottom periphery of the receptacle. shown applied about the corner zone periphery at the bottom of the receptacle, such binding strip may be applied, if desired, at corner zones pro- Handles l4, Id of suitable While the binding strip I8 is vided by the intersections of the end walls with the side walls of the receptacle as well as at other corner zone locations in the structure of the receptacle, for protective purposes.

The preferred material of the binding strip l8 is plasticized polyvinyl chloride or polymer made from vinylflchloride together with minor proportions of other polymerizable materials such as vinyl acetate, acrylic esters, vinylidene chloride and the like. with any of the non-volatile liquid iplasticizers ordinarily used for this purpose, such as tricresyl phosphate, dibutyl phthalate, dibenzyl sebacate, butyl phthalyl butyl glycollata iaind the usage with rubbery materials compatible with thegpolymer, such as the butadiene-acrylonitrile synthetic rubbers, or with mixtures of suchmaterials.

The hereinabove described material of the binding strip provides the desired characteristics "of strength, elasticity, including stretchability and resilience, and resistance maging and swelling, in addition to being highly re'sistant to wear, to tear, to objectionable distortion, and to many chemical agents such, for example, as sulphuric, nitric and chrc-mic acids'gasoline, naphtha, carbon tetrachloride, and other solvents, and also strong -alk'alis. The material is also relatively impervious to Water and may be prepared in a variety of colors, the colors in the strips being uniform throughout. This permits the "production of contrasting color effects, when desired.

The binding strip 18 may be generally 'L-shape in cross-section, as shown especially in -Fig. 2, and may be extruded, molded, orotherwise formed to such shape, preferably in strip 'form,:for convenience of assembly purposes. Such binding strip l8 includes a projecting flange or marginal portion 19 overlying the outer surface of and being attached to one of the intersecting walls forming the corner zone, a second projecting flange or marginal portion :20 overlying-the outer surface of andbeing attached *to the other intersecting wall, and a cushionca'nd bumper tubular or outwardly extendingcon vex :hollow portion "21 intermediate such flange portions positioned immediately at the intersection of the wallswhich tubular portion '2! preferably has .an arcuate convex'outer wall 22, which wall'may :project outwardly with respect 'to'such intersecting walls of the receptacle for functioning as a resilient bumper. Preferably, the tubular-portion 2i has a continuously annular tubular wall defining a bore extending, desirably, continuousl throughout the longitudinal extent of the binding strip.

In assembling the binding'strip with the receptacle, such fiexible'strip readily conforms to the surfaces of the walls at such corner zone, esepecially at regions of sharp curuature asatfl, 24, the strip stretching largely within itself to accommodate such sharp curvature by virtue of the stretchabil-ity of the rubbery plasticized thermoplastic material thereof. The -binding strip may be attached "to the respective wal1s=of the corner zone as by lines -:of stitching 5 and '26 through the flange portion's'and the flexible "WZIHS of the receptacle or'byany'of'thewell-known adhesives suitable'for thispur-pose, orboth. For a receptacle construction having Walls with an outer surface of material to which the material of the binding strip will fuse, such binding strip may be secured to such Walls as byheating, for example, by the application of a hot'iron, or by a wellknown electronic high frequency stitching procedure, or even by name working, whereby the The polymer may be plasticized pens with jointed leather binding strips, for exrample.

subs'tantia-lly unrestricted and sealed air space therein extends continuously around the periphery of the corner zone, and by virtue of its resilienc and tubular-construction provides effectively a bumper action for cushioning blows upon the The tubular portion 2| including the receptacle, :to further protect such corner construction against accidental damage.

Although the binding strip may, if desired, include a suitable fabric reinforcement therein, it is preferred that such reinforcement be omitted, so that the strip may be of a single materialhaving uniform texture and color throughout for-facilitating maintaining the appearance of the receptacle, especially at ,such corner zone, despite abrasion of the binding strip from scuffing or otherdamaging action.

By virtue of the described characteristics of the :material of the binding strip and the construction and arrangement at-the corner zone, the invention effectively protects and seals the corners of receptacles and also facilitates the provision of a jcintless binding strip and the secure attachment of the binding strip to the walls. The invention thus makes possible a receptacle capable of withstandingrelatively-severe and extendedservice, While protecting the contents of such receptacle against accidental damage by seepage of liquid through the corner constructions and also maintaining the appearance of such corner constructions despite abrasive Wear thereon.

Variations may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as it isdefinedin the following claims.

I claim:

1. A luggage edge-binding strip comprising rubbery plasticized polyvinyl chloride having the characteristics .of toughness, impermeability, stitch-retaining capacity, heat-sealing ability, uniform color and texture, and resistance to abrasion and aging, said strip comprising flange portions projecting laterally of the strip in angu lar relation one to the other for attachment to adjoining walls of the luggage at an edge of the luggage, and a cushion and bumper portion intermediate said flange portions for positioning at said edge, the cushion and bumper portion being hollow to define an air space extending along said strip, and said flange portions and said cushion and bumper portion being formed as an integral strip of said plasticized polyvinyl chloride.

'2. A luggage edge-binding strip comprising a rubbery plasticized polymer comprising vinyl chloride and having the characteristics of toughness, impermeability, stitch-retaining capacity, heat-sealing ability, uniform color and texture, and resistance to abrasion and aging, said strip comprising an intermediate cushion portion having "flanges projecting laterally therefrom along said strip, said flanges and said cushion portion being formed as an integral strip of said plasticized polymer for mounting as a unit at the edge '75 of the luggage with said cushion portion overlying the edge and said flanges extending along the adjoining walls of the luggage, and said cushion portion being hollow to define an air space extending along said strip and being relatively thick as compared to said flanges to protrude therefrom locally at the edge of the luggage in guarding relation to said flanges in the mounted condition of said strip.

3. A luggage edge-binding strip comprising a rubbery plasticized polymer comprising vinyl chloride and having the characteristics of toughness, impermeability, stitch-retaining capacity, heat-sealing ability, uniform color and texture, and resistance to abrasion and aging, said strip comprising an intermediate cushion portion having flanges projecting laterally therefrom along said strip, said flanges and said cushion portion being formed as an integral strip of said plasticized polymer for mounting as a unit at the edge of the luggage with said cushion portion overlying the edge and said flanges extending along the adjoining walls of the luggage, said cushion portion being of tubular form with a flexible inner wall between said flanges for flexure about and conformance to the edge of the luggage and said cushion portion being relatively thick as compared to said flanges and protruding therefrom locally at the edge of the luggage in guarding relation to said flanges in the mounted condition of said strip.

4. A receptacle edge binding strip angular in cross-section comprising rubbery plasticized polyvinyl chloride having the characteristics of toughness, impermeability, stitch-retaining capacity, heat-sealing ability, uniform color and texture, and resistance to abrasion and aging, said strip comprising angularly projecting flange portions for attachment to adjoining Walls of the receptacle at an edge thereof, and a cushion and bumper portion intermediate said flange portions for positioning at said edge, the cushion, and bumper portion being hollow to define an air space extending along said strip and having a bulged outer wall projecting outwardly with respect to the adjacent surfaces of said strip, and

said flange portions and cushion and bumper portion being formed as an integral strip of said plasticized polyvinyl chloride.

LAURENCE H. CHENOWETH.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

